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Chita Region
// GENERAL INFORMATION
Chita Region is a harsh Siberian territory with a unique, surprisingly varied natural environment. The region has an area of 431 500 km2, where you may encounter most of the typical Russian landscapes, from nearly inaccessible taiga, damp, boggy larch forests, and glaciated mountains to grass-covered steppes, mountain rivers, scenic lakes, and unique mineral springs.
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Chita Region was formed on September 26, 1937, and is now part of the East Siberian economic district of the Russian Federation. It includes the Aga-Buryat Autonomous District, 31 districts, 10 cities, and 45 other communities. The region has a population of 1 295 000 people; about a quarter of the population (318 000 people) lives in the regional capital, Chita.
The region is located in the Eastern Transbaikal (Zabaikalye) area (east of Lake Baikal) and has borders with the Buryat Republic, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Irkutsk and Amur regions, Mongolia, and China.
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Chita Region has abundant mineral resources, many of which are still undiscovered because of their remoteness. The region produces nonferrous, rare, and precious metals; iron ore; hard and brown coal; fluorspar; mineral water; semiprecious stones; and various building materials.
The region's main industries are nonferrous and ferrous metallurgy, engineering (car assembly plant, mining equipment plant), power (Chita and Kharonorsk thermal power plants), coal mining, and light industry (worsted woolen factory).
HISTORY
Development of the Zabaikalye area began in 1653, when Cossack forces of Petr Beketov built the first fortifications on the sites of present-day Chita and Nerchinsk at the confluence of the Ingoda and Chita rivers. The first documentary evidence of settlement at the confluence of the two rivers dates to 1687. Until 1851, Chita was simply a small village with 20 or 30 wooden houses and was used only as a place of exile.
With the formation of Zabaikalye Region in 1851, Chita received the status of a regional city. The Zabaikalye Cossack army was organized in the same year by Imperial decree.
In the 19th century, the region became the main and most notorious area for convict labor, mainly mining, and Decembrists were exiled here. Archangel Michael (Mikhailo-Arkhangelskaya) Church (the church attended by the Decembrists) built in 1771 is a reminder of the Decembrists who spent their exile in Chita.
From 1920 to 1922, Chita was the capital of the Far Eastern Republic, which extended as far east as Kamchatka and Sakhalin.
From 1922 to 1926, Zabaikalye Province existed as part of the Far Eastern Region. The province was split off from the Far Eastern territory in 1937, and the Aga-Buryat Autonomous District was formed at the same time as part of the new region.
The Trans-Siberian Railway built at the very beginning of the 20th century turned Chita into Zabaikalye's main transportation center. The last "construction project of the century," the Baikal-Amur Railway (BAM), also affected Chita Region, although it passed through the far northern part, where the previously Udokanskoe copper deposit lay.
The region has always had great strategic importance. Chita became the center of the Zabaikalye Cossack army right after it was founded, and today it is the center of military and frontier districts.
RESOURCES
Chita Region has a severe continental climate, with cold, dry, sunny winters with average January temperatures from -26 to -33°C. Summers are very warm, with average July temperatures from +17 to + 21°C. Annual precipitation is 120-200 mm, most of it falling in summer. The vegetation period is 120-160 days. Permafrost is widespread.
The largest rivers are the Shilka and Argun, which are sources of the Amur River. The Khilok and Chikoi rivers belong the Lake Baikal basin, while the Vitim and Olekma rivers flow into the Lena River. There are numerous lakes and mineral springs.
Soils are predominantly mountain taiga podzols, with black earth (chernozem) and chestnut soils on the steppes and frozen meadow and meadow black earth soils in the intermountain lowlands.
The most important iron ore deposits are the Charskoe ferruginous quartzite, Chineiskoe vanadium-titanium-magnetite, Kruchinskoe titanium-magnetite, and Berezovskoe limonite deposits. Deposits of gold, molybdenum, lead, and zinc have been explored and in operation. Large-scale reserves of synnyrite, a valuable compound raw material used in manufacturing chlorine-free potash fertilizers, have been discovered and are in the process of being explored. There are large zeolite reserves in the southern part of the region. Other well known mineral deposits are the Udokanskoe copper ore deposit, which is being developed, and the Novoshirokinskoe complex ore deposit.
Two-thirds of the calculated reserves are concentrated in the Chikoiskaya and Kodaro-Udokanskaya zones.
Coal produced from the Kharonarsky and Urtuisky open-pit mines is used mainly for generating power. The Apsatskoe coking coal deposit and the Chatkandinskoe hard coal deposit are considered to be the most promising reserves of these raw materials.
Chita Region is located in the middle taiga and steppe zones. More than 50% of its territory covered with mountain taiga forests (Dahurian larch, pine, cedar, and birch); grass and mixed herb steppe covers southern areas and valley floors. Sable, Siberian weasel, ermine, brown bears, lynx, reindeer, and Manchurian elk inhabit the forests, while badgers, wolves, chipmunks, hares, and ground squirrels are found in the forest steppe and steppe zones. Capercaillie, hazel grouse, black grouse, cranes, and bustards are typical birds of the region. Valuable species of fish, such as, omul and taimen [members of the salmon family], sturgeon, and whitefish, inhabit the rivers. The Daursky and Sokhondinsky nature reserves are located in the region.
ECONOMY
Chita Region has developed a large and efficient regional industrial complex within the East Siberian economic district. The main industrial enterprises are located in the city of Chita, which is the center of the engineering and metalworking (locomotive and rail car repair plant, machine tool plant), woodworking, and food industries. A steel plant is located in Petrozavodsk-Zabaikalsky.
The region's leading industrial sectors are mining (including coal mining) and metallurgy.
Agriculture specializes mainly in raising reindeer, cattle, and sheep. Cultivated crops include rye, oats, barley, and spring wheat.
Tungsten, gold, and marble are produced in the Agin-Buryatia Autonomous Area, and the forest and food industries have also been developed there. Agriculture in the district specializes in raising cattle and sheep and cultivating grain crops.
Railway transport is very important to the regional economy. The Trans-Siberian and Baikal-Amur railways both pass through the region. There is rail service to China via the Zabaikalsk border station.
Abundant natural resources, a relatively well-developed infrastructure, and a skilled workforce all favor future industrial development in Chita Region.
AUTHORITIES
The Administration of Chita Region is the region's highest executive body.
The Chita Regional Duma is the region's highest legislative body.
TOURISM
Zabaikalye is a treasure house for geologists, because all of Earth's geological history from the Archean to the Holocene is represented here. The "Udokansk biota", where fossils of the planet's first soft corals have been discovered, occurs only in this region. It is possible to trace all stages of evolution from invertebrates to more modern specimens by studying the remains of ancient animals found in the territory. Today, there is a science tour program that includes visits to the region's historical, local lore, religious, archeological, geological, biological, and other sites and facilities. Those who like scientific discoveries will be interested in the young mountain topography of the Northern Zabaikalye area, a Gobi Desert-like valley in the southern part of the region, unique forests with undergrowth of rhododendrons and orchids, and ancient burial grounds from the Bronze and Iron ages. You can also visit mines where Decembrists served out their terms of hard labor, and where Princesses Mariya Volkonskaya and Ekaterina Trubetskaya followed their husbands into exile, giving up their wealth and their families. And what could be more amazing than a sandy desert in the permafrost?
Northern Zabaikalye probably has more unique "wild" corners of nature than any other part of the country. No other place has so many thermal springs and extinct volcanoes. Work is currently underway to create a number of national parks, e.g., Kodar, Chikoi, and Alkhanai.
Cultural activities include regular folk art festivals and concerts by municipal ensembles like Zabaikalskie Uzory, Zabailkalskie Kazaki, and other artistic groups.
If you prefer relax in the open air, you can take a trip along the Vitim River. This route is designed for those who like to spend a quiet holiday swimming in the river, fishing, and going for canoe rides.
For who like sharper sensations, there is another route that follows the Kodar mountain ridge. During this trip, hikers have to negotiate mountain peaks, turbulent rivers, thick underbrush, and dangerous passes. However, all this is possible for well-prepared and experienced hikers.
A visit to the Chara sands located 7 km from the village of Staraya Chara will leave fond and lasting memories.
Many camps were built in Chita Region during the war. One of these is Marble Gorge (Mramornoe ushchelye). While visiting there, you feel like the hero in Andrei Tarkovsky's film Stalker. The creak of the gates, the overhanging guard towers, and generally gloomy weather create a sensation of the invisible life that once went on inside these walls.
The northern part of Chita Region is known for its interesting tourist areas. The main point of interest is Alkhanai Mountain (elevation 1662 m), the sixth sacred mountain of Buddhism. Another, equally interesting place is the Chikoi River valley, which is virtually untouched by civilization. Here you may come across Semei settlements, where customs and traditions have remained almost unchanged, crystal-clear blue lakes, and wild animals that have no fear of people.
In addition, Zabaikalye is one of Russia's premier resort areas, second only to the Caucasus in this respect. Almost all kinds of mineral water occur here. A huge number of lakes with deposits of various therapeutic muds have great potential as the sites of new resorts. Many of these lakes are close to population centers and accessible by road, so local residents frequently go there to relax and undergo treatment.
Official Site of the Administration of Chita Region:
http://www.adm.chita.ru/
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